A committee at the Alabama House of Representatives has approved a bill to amend the state Constitution by changing the definition of a person.
The bill aims to change the Code of Alabama 1975 to define "persons" as "any human being from the moment of fertilization or the functional equivalent thereof."
Its sponsor, Republican Rep. Ed Henry, declared that "I believe in life, and protecting it, no matter if we're going to be sued," according to the Montgomery Advertiser.
Henry said the bill is "not a direct attack on abortion."
"But if Alabamians believe life begins at conception, then it does cause abortion to be in conflict with our values," he said.
If the bill is passed by three-fifths of the state House and Senate, it will have to be approved by voters.
Pastor Tom Ford of the Grace Baptist Church said the bill aims to end abortion in the state.
"We state the obvious, that the baby in the womb is a person. And to take that innocent life is murder," Ford said, AL.com reports.
Pro-life Dr. Jime Belyeu, an OB/GYN, said life begins at conception.
"The baby initiates the process of implantation. Scientifically, pregnancy has been long recognized at beginning at fertilization, so anything that would prevent implantation would be considered abortion," he said.
Brock Boone of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) opposed the bill, saying it could result in unintended consequences including barring rape and incest exemptions under abortion laws and birth control.
"A woman's use of many common forms of birth control would be a form of homicide," he said.
A similar bill was passed by the Alabama Senate in 2011 but failed in the House, LifeSite News reported.
Alabama's Supreme Court ruled that year that mothers had the right to sue when their unborn child wrongfully dies before viability, saying "each person has a God-given right to life."
